Device for shuffling playing cards or the like



April 13, 1954 L, P. SAUNDERS DEVICE FOR SHUFFLING PLAYING CARDS OR THELIKE Filed My 26, 1950 IN V EN'T 0R.

@ MJW Patented Apr. 13, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FORSHUFFLING PLAYING CARDS OR THE LIKE Laurence P. Saunders, Lockport, N.Y.

Application May 26, 1950., Serial No. 164,312

7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in a device for shuffling playingcards or the like.

The objects of the invention are to provide a card shuffler on which twogroups or stacks of playing cards or the like can be quickly andoffectively interleaved; and which is simple in construction andinexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and accompanying drawing in which Fig. i aperspective elevational view of a card shuffler embodying my invention,no playing cards being illustrated on the device.

Fig. 2 is a top plan elevation view thereof on a slightly smaller scaleand showing two groups or stacks of playing cards in position beforebein interleaved.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with a central portion of the uppercard rest being broken away to show the interleaved condition oroverlapped The card shufiler as illustrated is made of plastic piecescemented together although it is to be understood that any suitablematerial can be used aiso any suitable mode of connection of the variousparts can be employed.

The card shuffisr comprises a base HJ shown in the form of a rectangularplate on which are arranged means for holding two groups or stacks ofplaying cards in an upwardly inclining position and at an angle to eachother .so that when these stacks are pushed downwardly toward the basethe adjacent corner portions of the cards become interleaved .oroverlapped. For this purpose stops are provided on the base .lll againstwhich the lower end of each stack of cards rests and. an upper restmember is arranged above the base it to support the upper end of eachstack of cards.

The lower stops for :one stack -of cards represented at C are shown astwo upstanding par-ts i l and i2 rising from the base to andspaced fromeach other transversely of the "stack of cards rengaged thereby so as toengage the rear edges of the cards in such stack. A similar pair ofstops H and il are provided for the other stack of cards represented atC The inner stops II and H are adjacent each other.

.An outer side guide plate [3 engages the outer lateral end face of thelower outer stop I? and extends forwardly at a right angle to such stop.This guide plate [3 braces the stop I? and also the inner surface ofthis guide plate serves as a guide for the outer side edges of the stackof cards C. A similar outer side guide plate I3 is provided for theother outer stop I2 An inner side guide plate l4 engages the outerlateral end face of the lower inner stop H and extends forwardlyparallel to the outer side guide plate l3. A similar inner side guideplate 14 is provided for the inner stop I'l These inner side guideplates [4 and I4 extend forwardly from the front faces of the respectiveinner stops 1 l and I l for a distance about equal to half the length ofthe playing cards as best shown in Fig. .3.

'The perpendicular distance between the opposing faces of the respectiveside guide plates I3, 14 and I3 I4 is slightly greater than the width ofthe playing cards so as to permit the cards to move both vertically andhorizontally relative to these guide plates without binding betweenthem.

The upper card rest comprises a transverse bar indicated generally at 15arranged in elevated position above the base Ill. This bar is shown assupportedby a pair of rearwardly and downwardly turned arms 1'6, [6connected respectively to the outer side guide plates l3, I3 and a pairof upright posts 17, I1 arranged near the forward ends of the arms I6,I16 and connected respectively thereto. The posts H, H are preferablyset back as shown a relatively short distance from the corner junctureof the transverse bar 15 with the .front end of the respective arm [5 orIE and these posts serve as outer guidesfor the side edges of the stacksof cards .0 and C respectively adjacent their front ends.

The transverse bar !5 is formed to provide a pair of vertical cardengaging surfaces i8 and I8 each having a continuous lower rear edge itor I 9 .respectively parallel with the upper surface of the base 110.The surfaces 18 and I t are arranged at an angle to each other so thatthe surface i8 is parallel with the card engaging or front faces of thelower stops II and i2 and thesurface I8 is ,parallel with the cardengaging or front faces of the lower stops H and 52 .A horizontalreenforcing rib 20 is shown as arranged on :the front of the transversebar it to rigidity this bar.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3 the card engaging surfaces for one stack ofcards is arranged at such an angle to the card engaging surfaces for theother stack of cards that the adjacent front upper inner corners of thestacks C and C are slightly separated when resting against thetransverse bar l as shown in Fig. 2; but when these stacks are lyingfiat on the base It the adjacent corner portions of the cards in the twostacks are interleaved or overlapped, as shown in Fig. 3.

Further, the front or card engaging surface of the various lower stopsll, H 12 and I2 are preferably curved about the lower rear edge H3 or I9as a centerline and having a radius equal to the distance between thisedge and the front faces of the respective stops. However, the front orcard engaging surfaces of these lower stops may be straight as a chordof the curve shown.

It is also to be noted that the distance between the edge l9 or I9 andthe card engaging surfaces of the respective stops I 1, E2 or H I2 isslightly less than the length of a playing card so that the respectivecard engaging surface on the transverse bar l5 will support a stack ofcards resting against the lower stops, but yet permitting the upperfront ends of the cards to pass the edge 19 or I9 successively beginningwith the lowermost card when pressure is applied to the top of the stackto bow the same, as shown in Fig. l. If desired a tool or mechanicalmeans (not shown) may be arranged to contact the cards directly andapply the pressure thereto, instead of manually engaging the cards asillustrated in Fig. 4.

In use,"the cards to be shuffled are first divided into two groups orstacks C and C containing approximately the same number of cards. Thestacks C and C are then placed in the respective positions shown in Fig.2 in which each stack rests against its lower stops and leans againstthe transverse bar I5. The operator then presses downwardly on thestacks simultaneously at about their centers. .This causes the cardsfrom the bottom card to the top card in each stack successively totraverse the edge IE or I9 and as the cards fall toward the base It theadjacent front inner corner portions of the cards from the two stacksoverlap one another. With the partially interleaved cards on the base[0, the operator can place his fingers in the space between the pair oflower stops and push the cards forwardly away from the lower stops. Indoing this the partially interleaved stacks of cards are guided by theside guide plates 13, I4, I3 and M and posts l1 and I! to move towardeach other and increase the degree of overlapping. At the same time thecards are presented forwardly of the transverse bar I5 where they can beeasily picked up by the operator.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides acard shufiler which has a simple construction and can be manufactured atlow cost, and which is easy to operate to effectively shuflie stacks ofcards rapidly.

I claim:

1. A device for shuffling cards, comprising a base, a rest bar supportedin an elevated position abovev said base and having separate cardengaging surfaces arranged at an angle to each other, and separate cardengaging stop members arranged on said base on the same side of said barand opposite said surfaces, whereby two inclined stacks of cards havingtheir opposite ends resting against saidsurfaces and stop members andwith their upper edges at an angle to each other can be pressed towardsaid base to cause the elevated ends of the cards in said stacks toleave successively said surfaces and partially overlap one another asthe cards fall onto said base.

2. A device for shufliing cards, comprising a base, a bar membersupported in an elevated position above said base and having its rearface inclining rearwardly from opposite ends of said bar member toprovide two surfaces arranged at an angle to each other, and upstandingstops on said base disposed rearwardly of said bar member, whereby twoinclined stacks of cards having their opposite ends resting against saidsurfaces and said stops and with their upper edges at an angle to eachother can be pressed toward said base to caus the elevated ends of thecards in said stacks to leave successively said surfaces and partiallyoverlap one another as the cards fall onto said base.

3. A device for shufiiing cards, comprising a base, a bar membersupported in an elevated position above said base and having its rearface inclining rearwardly from opposite ends of said bar member toprovide two surfaces arranged at an angle to each other, and a pair ofspaced upstanding stops on said base disposed rearwardly of said barmember and opposite each of said surfaces, whereby two inclined stacksof cards having their opposite ends resting against said surfaces andsaid stops and with their upper edges at an angle to each other can bepressed toward said base to cause the elevated ends of the cards in saidstacks to leave successively said surfaces and partially overlap oneanother as the cards fall onto said base.

4. A device for shuffling cards, comprising a base, a bar membersupported in an elevated position above said base and having its rearface inclining rearwardly from opposite ends of said bar member toprovide two surfaces arranged at an angle to each other, a pair ofspaced upstanding stops on said base disposed rearwardly of said barmember and opposite each of said surfaces, and a side guide on each ofthe lateral outer sides of each pair of said stops, whereby two inclinedstacks of cards having their opposite ends resting against said surfacesand said stops and arranged between the corresponding pairs of said sideguides and with their upper edges at an angle to each other can bepressed toward said base to cause the elevated ends of the cards in saidstacks to leave successively said surfaces and partially overlap oneanother as the cards fall onto said base.

5. A device for shuffling cards, comprising a base, a bar memberarranged in an elevated position above said base and having separatecard engaging surfaces arranged at an angle to each other, a post onsaid base adjacent each end of said bar member and connected thereto,separate card engaging stop members arranged on said base on the sameside of said bar member and opposite said surfaces, and side guide meansassociated with said stop members, whereby two inclined stacks of cardshaving their opposite ends resting against said surfaces and said stopmembers and between said side guide means and with their upper edges atan angle to each other can be pressed toward said base to cause theelevated ends of the cards in said stacks to leave'successively saidsurfaces and partially overlap one another as the cards fall onto saidbase.

6. A device for shuffling cards, comprising a base, a bar memberarranged in an elevated position above said base, a rearwardly andoutwardly facing card engaging surface at opposite ends of said barmember on the same side thereof whereby such surfaces are arranged at anangle to each other when viewed from above, a support arm extendingupwardly from said base and, forwardly toward each of said surfacessubstantially perpendicularly thereto and connected at its forward endto the adjacent outer end of said bar member, a post arranged on saidbase adjacent each of said arms and connected thereto adjacent itsforward end, and upstanding card engaging stop means on said basedisposed rearwardly of said bar member and opposite each of saidsurfaces, whereby two inclined stacks of cards having their oppositeends resting against said surfaces and said stops and with their upperedges at an angle to each other can be pressed toward said base to causethe elevated ends of the cards in said stacks to leave successively saidsurfaces and partially overlap one another as the cards fall onto saidbase.

7. A device for shufiling cards, comprising a base, a bar membersupported in an elevated position above said base, a rearwardly andoutwardly facing card engaging surface at opposite ends of said barmember on the same side thereof whereby such surfaces are arranged at anangle to each other when viewed from above, the lower rear edge of eachof said surfaces being substantially straight and parallel with theupper surface of said base, and upstanding card engaging stop means onsaid base disposed rearwardly of said bar member and opposite each ofsaid surfaces, the front face of each of said stop means being curvedabout the respective one of said lower rear edges as a center and theradius of such curvature being slightly less than the length of aplaying card, whereby two inclined stacks of cards having their oppositeends engaging said card engaging surfaces and front faces and with theirupper edges at an angle to each other can be pressed toward said base tocause the elevated ends of the cards in said stacks to leavesuccessively said surfaces and partially overlap one another as thecards fall onto said base.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 6,968 Great Britain 1890 27,568 Great Britain 1909 29,288Great Britain 1913

